A reason for thanks: Generous donors provide 100 meals for the Salem County needy

View full sizeStaff photo by Michael WilliamsThe Penns Grove Exchange Club along with Calvary's Kitchen met at the Pennsville Acme Tuesday to pick-up meals to distribute to needy families for the Thanksgiving holiday.

PENNSVILLE TWP. — Thanks to a tremendous amount of donations from the community, the Pennsville Acme and local outreach organizations were able to provide more than 100 holiday meals to needy families in the area, just in time for Thanksgiving.

The meals were picked up from Acme here Tuesday by the Penns Grove Exchange Club and Calvary’s Kitchen, and then taken to needy families in the Pennsville, Carneys Point, Penns Grove, and Pedricktown areas.

“The Exchange Club participates in community based programs, which is part of the organization’s goals and objectives,” said Exchange Club President Joseph Venello. “With this program and Acme, we were looking specifically to needy families. By providing a holiday meal you promote family and community involvement, and that’s what the Exchange Club is all about.”

The boxed meals included a prepared turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, stuffing, gravy, and a pie — enough food to feed a family of six to eight people.

According to Pennsville Acme officials, the store received about $6,000 in donations from the community to provide the meals as part of their “Giving Thanks” program. The donations received here were among the highest across 116 stores in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland.

Calvary’s Kitchen, an outreach program under the Calvary Baptist Church in Carneys Point, staffed a table in Acme over a three-week period to help collect donations to purchase the meals.

“People from the community gave by the hundreds,” said Ed Camp, chairman of the Missions Board for Calvary. “I think in Salem County people realize that there are families in desperate need, not just for jobs, but for meals, too.

“Thanks to Acme and all those who donated, these two groups were able to work together to meet the needs of those less fortunate.”

Needy families were identified by the Exchange Club and Calvary’s Kitchen with the help of local organizations, such as the United Way and the YMCA. Working together, the groups attempted to identify those in the most desperate need of a hearty holiday meal.

The Pennsville Acme’s original goal was to collect enough donations for 75 meals. They were able to well surpass that goal, collecting enough donations to provide 112 meals total.

“This was a group effort between the Acme team, local churches, non-profits and our customers,” said Acme Store Director Rick Pratt. “People in the community knew these meals would be going to needy families in their local community, and I think that made all the difference.”